ASA 127th Meeting M.I.T. 1994 June 6-10

5aBV2. Vibration sensation in played stringed instruments.

The vibration levels in four traditional stringed instruments during
playing have been investigated, including the double bass, violin, guitar, and
the piano. The vibration levels, which were measured at several positions and
at different dynamic levels, were evaluated with respect to reported thresholds
for detection of vibrotactile stimuli. The results show that the vibration
levels are well above threshold for almost all positions of the instruments in
normal playing. It is concluded that the perceived vibrations may be of some
assistance with regard to intonation in ensemble playing, in particular for the
bass instruments. The finger forces exerted when playing the bowed strings, as
well as the touch forces in piano playing were studied briefly. It was
concluded that the kinestetic forces perceived in playing may assist the timing
in performance. [Work supported by the Swedish Council for Research in the
Humanities and Social Sciences.]